In a conventional automobile construction, a filler tube for the gasoline tank extends through an opening in the tank. A seal is provided around the tube between the latter and the tank. The present invention relates to improvements in such a seal that may be readily installed in sealing engagement with the tube and tank and that is highly resistant to leakage in the event of deformation of the tank or tube or relative displacement resulting from collision, such as a rear end collision when the fill opening is at the rear of the tank.
Another object is to provide such a seal comprising a resiliently deformable material arranged coaxially around the tube and having two cooperating pairs of sealing areas in fluid sealing engagement with the tank and tube.
One pair of the sealing areas comprises an annular body portion of the deformable material having its radially inner and outer circumferential portions deformed and clamped respectively between the tube and the portions of the tank around said opening to effect the seal. The diameter of the inner circumferential portion of the body in its undeformed condition is less than the outer diameter of the tube. The diameter of the outer circumferential portion in the undeformed condition is greater than the diameter of the tank opening and defines the base of a radially outwardly opening annular groove coaxial with the body and having said portions of the tank around its opening confined therein. Thus the radially inner and outer annular portions of the deformable body are resiliently deformed and pressed toward each other between the tube and tank to effect the seal.
The aforesaid annular groove is defined by axially spaced interior and exterior sides, the interior side extending radially outwardly beyond the exterior side and being inclined toward the latter in the undeformed condition to effect an annular radial seal having an interference fit with the interior wall of the tank around said opening. Also extending into the tank around the tube from the radial seal is a tubular seal of endwise decreasing diameter in the undeformed condition less than the external diameter of said tube to effect an interference fit and sealing engagement therewith. The tubular and radial seals comprise the second pair of sealing areas and are sufficiently thin and flexible to yield readily against said tube and interior wall of the tank respectively when subject to the fluid pressure in the tank, thereby to increase the sealing engagement as the fluid pressure increases.
Other objects are to provide such a seal having an annular liquid fuel entrapping channel located axially outward of said groove, and to provide such a seal in combination with a filler tube that extends generally from rear to front through the tank opening and being thereby freely slidable axially or from rear to front through the seal without rupturing the latter in the event of a light to moderate rear end collision.